NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"The Bobcats have changed their lineup tonight! Lin has been promoted to the starting lineup!" Miller, who is providing commentary tonight, said: "To be honest, after the post-game interviews from the last game, I knew Lin would definitely make changes! This guy has definitely not given up."

"I know this kid too well; he's never one to give up!"

Jackson also said, "To dare to get angry at the fans who cheered for you after a loss, and to receive unanimous praise from the fans afterward, with some even apologizing, I think the Bobcats are the only ones in history to do that!"

"That's Lin's charm! He can do such amazing things."

Miller added, "That's right! That's one of the reasons he's been so successful, but now we need to see if the Bobcats make any other changes! Simply changing one starting player is clearly not enough to help them win!"

"Mark, if it were you, what tactical adjustments would you make after taking down Lin?"

"Speed ​​up!" Jackson said without hesitation. "The Celtics have two seven-foot giants in the paint. Although the Bobcats also have Yao, they obviously won't have much of an advantage in half-court sets."

"And more importantly, they were completely helpless against the Celtics' impenetrable defense in positional warfare!"

"In the first four games, their offensive efficiency and various related statistics plummeted across the board! Even in the third game, which they won, their efficiency was actually quite poor."

"So I think Lin should bring Lin, well, bring Jeremy, just to speed things up! Just to get going, firstly to wear down the Celtics' twin towers, and secondly to prevent the Celtics from forming a solid defensive wall."

"Utilizing Rose and Jeremy's explosiveness, playing transition offense and defense, and looking for opportunities—that's the best way I can think of for the Bobcats to win!"

“That’s exactly what I was thinking!” Miller said. “I also think the Bobcats should play like this! Now, let’s see if the Bobcats can surprise us tonight!”

"Dudu!"

With a whistle from the referee, Howard leaped into the air and slapped the basketball to Tony Parker.

The Celtics had possession of the ball in the first wave of attack.

The Celtics did not change their starting lineup tonight. They still had Duncan and Howard anchoring the paint, Stephen Jackson playing the small forward position, and Tony Allen and Parker pairing up in the backcourt.

This lineup is also the most defensively efficient five-man combination in the entire NBA this season!

In the first four games of the series, it was these five players who kept the Bobcats from missing shots like crazy.

What about tonight?
Parker dribbled to the frontcourt, Howard stood under the basket as usual to receive the ball, while Duncan moved to the left 45-degree angle to look for an opportunity to screen for his teammates.

Parker bounced the ball to Howard, a tactic the Celtics only started using this season.

Let Howard go first.

This is a reward from Rivers to him, and also one of the proofs that the team supports him in becoming the team's leader.

Howard, with the ball in his back to Yao Ming, said smugly, "Old man, ready to get beaten up? I heard you're planning to crush me tonight? How are you going to do it? Let me see!"

"Stop talking too much nonsense!" Yao Ming muttered, then suddenly raised his hand and pinched Howard's waist, making Howard wince in pain. Howard then suddenly exerted force, trying to force his way into the paint to score one-on-one against Yao Ming.

But just as he turned towards the basket, preparing to unleash his signature step-back hook, Hayward suddenly double-teamed him. Hayward retreated from the top of the arc to the basket, seized the opportunity, and stole the ball.

"Bring it!"

Hayward, who was a whole size smaller than Howard, suddenly exerted all his strength and slammed the basketball down, knocking it out of Howard's iron grip.

The basketball had barely left Hayward's hands when he caught it in a flash, then turned around and found Jeremy Lin, letting Lin dribble the ball forward.

But Jeremy Lin was in no hurry. He raised the ball on the spot and swung his elbows a few times, shooing away any Celtics players who tried to get close.

"They're not going to launch a counterattack? Are they going to play a positional game?" Jackson exclaimed in surprise. "Such a good opportunity and they're not going to launch a counterattack? This is completely unlike the Bobcats!"

Sitting in his chair, Lin Tian listened to the two commentators' analysis, feeling secretly pleased with himself.

Can you guys figure out my strategy and tactics?

Yes, on the surface, the Bobcats' interior height is worrying. In half-court offense, whether attacking the basket or grabbing rebounds, they have no advantage at all. Facing the Celtics' solid defense, they struggled to make any progress.

The problem is that the Bobcats also have a twin-tower lineup, a combination of two proper inside players. If Lin Tian really wants to play fast, he will definitely have to bring in Odom and replace one of the starting inside players.

Since both towers are still there, it means Lin Tian isn't planning to play fast tonight!
As for why?
1. Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer are both of average athletic ability. Trying to play a fast-paced game with them would be like crippling yourself.

On the other hand, Howard is a prodigy with extraordinary talent! Letting him play a fast-paced offensive game in transition only amplifies his strengths and hides his weaknesses!

What are Howard's weaknesses?
Lacking offensive capabilities!

Although he has had many more one-on-one opportunities this season and is no longer a pure role player, more opportunities do not necessarily mean that his ability has improved.

Howard's offense still follows the same old formula: putbacks, easy dunks, back-to-the-basket moves followed by a step-back dunk or a fake followed by a step-back dunk, or a quick hook shot to test his touch.

These are the only three moves I have; there are no other reliable techniques.

Yes, his shooting percentage this year is still incredibly high. Among all players in the league who average 20+ points per game, his 58% shooting percentage is unmatched.

But most of these points were scored by easily feeding the ball to the mouth or by forcibly pulling it up using physical strength.

Technique? Feel? Footwork?
He has made absolutely no progress!

When facing Yao Ming, as long as you position yourself well to prevent him from hitting the rebounds and making easy alley-oop dunks, this guy has no way to score consistently.

Running fast is the way to beat someone?

That would mean giving up all of Yao Ming's advantages and letting Howard fully utilize his strengths. If that guy were to make a few blocks or a fast break dunk, he could completely seize the rhythm and momentum of the game in the blink of an eye!

2. The Celtics' own offense is also quite stagnant. Although this Celtics team has several players who have averaged 20+ points per game, and Ginobili, a wonderkid who has never averaged 20+ points per game but whose offense is not underestimated by anyone, they are still on the team.

However, their offense is constipated, and their own scoring rarely exceeds 100 or even 95 points.

As for the reasons? Of course, there are reasons such as the decline in the abilities of Duncan and Parker, their decreased offensive accuracy, and their reduced desire to shoot. There are also reasons such as Rivers not knowing how to build an offensive system and letting the players rely entirely on their individual abilities.

But the most important reason is Howard!

No one on the Celtics team can control Howard.

This guy has a lot of one-on-one opportunities on the court now, and whenever he does one-on-one, everyone has to be in good position, create space, and he has to hold his position before he can receive the ball and attack.

He only has this one ability and skill to score points in one-on-one situations.

This means that as long as Howard is on the court, the Celtics' pace will slow down, and they will have to satisfy his desire to shoot.

If this guy were content to be a role player, running pick-and-rolls, grabbing rebounds for second-chance points, standing around waiting for easy baskets, and launching fast breaks, then even if Rivers were an idiot, the Celtics would definitely be at least one level stronger on offense.

But what about now? Howard averages about 15 shots per game, more than half of which are back-to-the-basket moves after pulling away from the post. This doesn't even include the possessions where he passes, gets fouled, loses the ball, or fails to hold onto it due to poor positioning.

All told, Howard attempts to post up and isolate at least 20 times a game, which accounts for nearly a third of a team's offensive opportunities.

Howard alone completely slowed down and disrupted the team's offensive system.

Of course, he can also score a lot of points. He can also dominate against those short, underweight centers. Overall, his one-on-one play is not a drag on the team and can help the team win 60+ games.

But now their opponent is the Bobcats, who have Yao Ming, the Sparks' nemesis!

If Howard continues to play like this, he'll just be dragging the team down.

Since he's dragging the team down, Lin Tian will make him continue playing like this!
It can't run.

It's just about slowing down the tempo, I'll help you!

Moreover, it wasn't just the offense that changed; on the defensive end, Lin Tian also intensified his double-teaming of Howard. In the previous few games, because he trusted Yao Ming enough, Lin Tian hadn't devised any tactics to double-team Howard.

But tonight, with their backs against the wall, Lin Tian ordered his team to resolutely double-team.

Who told you, Howard, to have so many opportunities to post up, yet average less than one assist per game? You're a ball-handling black hole with terrible vision, so who else should we double-team if not you?
This is the first stage of the tactics Lin Tian prepared for the team!
Slowing down the pace exposes the Celtics' weaknesses; they need to strengthen their interior defense!
Anyway, Lin Tian knows Howard and Rivers.

Howard is the kind of guy who is arrogant and has high aspirations, and his physical attributes match his arrogance and conceit.

But as I said before: it depends on who the opponent is.

As for Rivers, he's not the kind of guy who can control the temperamental players on his team. He's not the kind of guy who can make Howard behave and obediently run pick-and-rolls. In fact, he's the kind of guy who will encourage Howard to keep trying to take on the one-on-one situation after Howard fails in the low post.

It's basically just giving people motivational platitudes!

Dude, you're good at this!
Lin Tian's core strategy tonight is to target Howard and Rivers!

One technology is flawed, and the other capability is flawed!

As the Bobcats attacked, Jeremy Lin calmly came to the frontcourt. Facing Parker's solid defense, he directed all his players to spread out and then made a through pass to Yao Ming under the basket.

Yao Ming vs. Dwight Howard!

Yao Ming held the ball high, not in a hurry to dribble. He calmly observed the situation on the court, looking to see if anyone would double-team him, while completely ignoring Howard's trash talk.

After confirming that no one would double-team him, Yao Ming suddenly pushed hard against Howard, then dribbled and spun around to the baseline, raising the ball with both hands, seemingly about to execute his signature spin shot.

Howard immediately stepped up to block the shot, but Yao Ming suddenly shifted his weight, took a step forward, and easily shook off Howard, then banked the ball into the basket before Duncan could get there.

2: 0!

The Bobcats opened the scoring.

"Sorry, my English isn't good, I didn't understand what you just said. Would you mind if I said it again?" After scoring, Yao Ming looked at Howard with an innocent expression and started his trash talk.

This is also part of the strategy, allowing Howard to take more one-on-one shots.

At the same time, Yao Ming himself needs to simplify his one-on-one style.

Before this series began, Lin Tian had already taken advantage of the team's 4-5 day rest period to let Yao Ming familiarize himself with the new playing style.

Try to avoid dribbling as much as possible, and if you do dribble, do it only once. Play high and aggressively, and end the game quickly.

Otherwise, given the Celtics' defensive system and their incredibly fast rotation speed, if Yao Ming dribbled a couple more times, he would be double-teamed and have his shots stolen!
"Anyway, we're playing against Howard, so dribbling the ball once is enough!"

These are the words Lin Tian said to Yao Ming before the game.

Howard's strengths have always been in help defense, rim protection, shot blocking, and shot defense.

He's really not good at guarding big men, especially traditional big men.

The lower body isn't strong enough, it tends to bounce a lot, and it's also a bit rough.

But of course, as I said before, you need to be a top player to back down Howard.

If you try to take on average big men one-on-one with Howard, their lack of lower body strength and tendency to jump too much will become Howard's signature moves to destroy them!

No matter how much people who dislike Howard hate him, he has become increasingly secure as the best center in the league.

Of course, if Yao Ming didn't exist in this league, his position would be even more secure!

"It's okay, Dwight, just come back after one, just come back after one! Kill them!" Rivers on the sidelines also quickly stood up at this moment and shouted at Howard: "One more and you can kill him! You're the best center! You're the best!"

"Damn it, he's already spouting platitudes in the first round. Doesn't he care if Howard chokes on it?" Lin Tian rolled his eyes, completely ignoring Rivers.

He is not prepared to respond.

The Celtics' offense was almost exactly the same as before. Howard once again positioned himself under the basket, reached out for the ball, and Parker had no choice but to pass the ball to Howard again.

This is another problem that Lin Tian discovered about the Celtics.

This team lacks talkative and articulate individuals.

In other words, we're missing someone who can keep Howard in check!
Duncan was originally the best choice, but this guy is taciturn and doesn't like to talk. He won't step up unless the team is forced into a desperate situation, and he almost lets Howard go.

Besides Duncan, Jackson was also a good locker room leader, but unfortunately, his performance has declined, averaging just over 10 points per game. He lacks the ability, and the head coach doesn't support him. In this situation, all his leadership charisma and veteran experience are useless.

This team really only lets Howard play like this.

After receiving the ball in the low post, Howard changed his playing style this time, suddenly turning to face the basket, then using a crossover step that was completely unfathomable, followed by a sudden jump step to the baseline, and then a turn that Yao Ming couldn't understand before he finally hooked the ball out.

Although Yao Ming didn't understand why Howard turned around, since the turn was only to help Yao Ming get into position and prepare, it really served no purpose. However, he still played defense actively and interfered with Howard's shot.

"Boom!"

With a muffled thud, Howard started the game with an ice block and a mistake.

Yao Ming grabbed the rebound, then raised his elbow and looked around warily to prevent any Celtics players from stealing the ball. After confirming it was safe, Yao Ming passed the ball and ran forward with the team's advance.

"He can't hook with his left hand, he has to turn around!" Lin Tian shouted to Yao Ming, helping Yao Ming understand the mystery of Howard's unnecessary turn.

You have to turn it around, otherwise you can't hook it.

That reason is indeed refreshing and unconventional!
Of course, besides helping Yao Ming decipher the mystery, Lin Tian was also reminding him.

"This guy's left hand is trash, force him to the left!"

Yao nodded to Lin Tian, ​​indicating that he understood what Lin Tian meant.

However, the Bobcats' offense failed this time. When Yao Ming received the ball in the low post again, he carefully observed the situation before passing the ball to the opponent. But the moment he passed the ball, Tony Allen had already come over to double-team him.

Caught off guard, Yao Ming barely managed to pass the ball without making a mistake, but the quality of the pass was really poor, which made it quite uncomfortable for his teammates to receive the ball.

Coupled with the Celtics' fast rotations and top-notch defensive system, Yao Ming didn't make any mistakes, but Jeremy Lin, who received the ball, was unable to complete the attack and could only pass the ball to Rose again.

After several attempts to pass the ball and drive to the basket, the Bobcats still couldn't find a good offensive opportunity.

With little time left on the shot clock, Boozer finally received the ball and managed a mid-range shot, but it didn't go in!

Then the Celtics continued their offense. Howard, unwilling to give up, called for the ball in the low post for the third time in a row. But this time, Parker finally stood up and stopped passing the ball to him. Instead, he passed it to Jackson on the other side.

After a few probing steps, Jackson suddenly accelerated and broke through, getting past Hayward and drawing the defense before passing to Howard, who was left out under the basket.

Howard caught the ball and immediately pulled up for a dunk. Yao Ming was truly helpless this time. Howard's physical attributes were too explosive. Once he jumped, there was really no stopping him.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Howard dunked with absolute satisfaction, but he was still not entirely satisfied. Instead, he turned to Parker and said, "Tony, you should have given it to me sooner, or I would have dunked it right away! This cost you an assist!"

Give a warning to the seniors!

Howard's behavior is really quite annoying.

But strangely enough, no one on the Celtics team pointed out his problems; everyone seemed to think that's how he should be.

The whole team is really doting on one kid!
The Bobcats' offense continued to struggle, failing to score whether it was Yao Ming's one-on-one plays or the several combinations between Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer.

Fortunately, the Celtics' offense remained poor, with Duncan's mid-range layup, Parker's floater, and Howard's post-up game all failing to score.

Four minutes into the game, the score was still tied at 2-2!

"How come their defense has improved so much!" Lin Tian crossed his arms, his expression ambiguous, whether he was asking a question or complaining. (End of Chapter)